U.S. Olympic Coach on Depart amid Athletes’ Allegations of Sexual Abuse

The U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee has positioned an unnamed worker on administrative depart after allegations and experiences a few coach’s sexual abuse got here to gentle, the Related Press reported Thursday.

The committee didn’t determine the worker it positioned on depart, in response to the AP, nevertheless the one coach named within the allegations was U.S. paralympic snowboarding coach Homosexual Colliander.

Colliander was accused of sexual assault by Grace Boutot, who Colliander started teaching when Boutot was 15 years outdated, in response to the AP.

Boutot, now 33, informed the outlet Colliander started making inappropriate contact along with her whereas she was underage, from prolonged hugs to different alleged touching. After she turned 18, in response to a remedy abstract by therapist Jacqueline Pauli-Ritz, shared with the AP, his bodily interactions along with her grew to become “kissing, sexual fondling and oral intercourse.”

Boutot informed the outlet she requested the coach to cease, nevertheless she alleged that Colliander refuted her and as a substitute threatened that his life and her profession can be broken if she spoke out.

In 2010, Boutot tried suicide after seeing a therapist who recognized her with main melancholy and post-traumatic stress dysfunction, the AP reported, citing a latest U.S. Middle for SafeSport investigation into her allegations.

The AP reported that Boutot’s therapist mentioned within the SafeSport report that Colliander didn’t cease teaching her “till after the suicide try.” He resigned from teaching her the day after her suicide try.

Colliander has most lately labored for the U.S. Paralympic workforce because the workforce’s nordic snowboarding coach, a job he took in 2016.

PEOPLE tried to contact Colliander, however a telephone quantity for him has now been disconnected. The AP beforehand reported Thursday that Colliander didn’t return telephone messages requesting a touch upon the allegations, as nicely.

Boutot is considered one of a number of U.S. Biathlon athletes who’ve come ahead this 12 months following the AP’s reporting on the group’s alleged historical past of sexual abuse in direction of its younger athletes by its staff, relationship again many years. 

Former U.S. Biathlon nationwide champion Joanne Reid informed the AP she was sexually harassed and abused for years, and Reid mentioned it took two years for the group to adequately step in to take efforts in investigating the allegations after she started making them.

Teammate Deedra Irwin additionally pressed officers to step in, telling the AP the allegations have been an instance of “a tradition of harassment and misogyny” inside U.S. Biathlon. The group introduced the allegations to the U.S. Middle for SafeSport in 2021, prompting an official investigation that has led to extra revelations of abuse, reminiscent of Boutot’s latest allegations.

“The true origin of the misogynistic tradition lies with U.S. Biathlon,” Boutot informed the AP. “The silence is gorgeous, to be sincere.”

PEOPLE reached out to a spokesperson for U.S. Biathlon and didn’t but obtain a response.

The alleged lack of preliminary motion from U.S. Biathlon has left Boutot “extremely disillusioned,” the athlete informed the AP.

The AP acquired a replica with reference to what it known as “regarding allegations of abuse.”

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“We wish to commend these athletes for his or her immense braveness and power in coming ahead,” the e-mail mentioned, in response to the AP. “Efficient instantly, we now have positioned a USOPC workers member on administrative depart pending an inner investigation.”

If you happen to or somebody you understand has been a sufferer of sexual abuse, textual content “STRENGTH” to the Disaster Textual content Line at 741-741 to be related to an authorized disaster counselor.